Failure to Protect Resident from Misappropriation of Property
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when the facility failed to protect a resident from misappropriation of personal property. The resident, who is alert, oriented, and hard of hearing, reported that $300 was missing from her wallet after taking a nap in her room. The wallet had been stored inside her walker, which she keeps with her at all times, even when leaving the room or going to the bathroom. The resident noticed the wallet was not secured and the envelope containing her money was gone upon waking. She immediately reported the missing money to a CNA, who then informed the nurse. A room search was conducted, but the money was not found, and the police were contacted to investigate. The resident was able to specify the denominations of the missing bills and confirmed that she had received cash from various sources, including withdrawals from her facility-managed account and a birthday gift. Staff interviews confirmed that the resident seldom leaves her room, always keeps her walker with her, and is hard of hearing, making it unlikely she would notice someone entering her room while she was asleep. The business office verified that the resident had access to the amount of cash reported missing. The facility's policy states that any missing money should be treated as theft unless there is clear evidence it was lost by other means. Despite these measures, the facility did not prevent the loss of the resident's money, and there were no cameras available to help identify a potential perpetrator.